Retribution
by AnimePirate223
Summary: Wherein Light Yagami gets exactly what he deserves.


Light Yagami opened his eyes, stunned, as he struggled to see in the cold, dark room. What had happened? He was… he was dead, wasn't he?…. That was right.. He most certainly was. He could still remember the agonizing pain, the ragged gasps he had choked out as the air was ripped from his lungs, and finally, nothing. Blackness. He sat up, trembling. Partly from the cold, partly from terror. "Hello?" Light called, his voice echoing into the darkness, the sound that returned painfully faint. Slowly, he pulled himself to his feet, struggling to get his bearings. He turned in a complete circle, taking in the room. It was utterly empty, with walls, floor, and ceiling of rough, dark concrete. There were no windows, no furniture… nothing at all. Not even a door. Which meant there was no way out.

Heart pounding, struggling to grasp the concept of an eternity of this, he watched the shadows swirl along the walls as if they were living beings. It may have been seconds, it may have been eons. Time didn't exist in this emptiness. He called again then, for anyone at all, hoping desperately for an answer. But there was nothing. Only him, the dark, freezing room, and silence. With a muted scream, he fell to his knees, hoping for any answer at all. Anyone. Just someone… so he wouldn't be so…_ alone_. Please! He screamed for as long as he could, everything from wordless shouts, to desperate cries for his father, for his mother, for Sayu… once, desperate, he called for Misa. But no one came. "Please." He said, the last of his hoarse voice going to the whispered word.

Suddenly, a soft shuffling. Spinning around, he noticed L standing behind him. The detective looked as he had in life, tall, thin and pale, still wearing the same baggy jeans and white shirt he always had. L blinked, scratching the back of one leg with a pale foot, toes curling on the cold concrete. Light gasped. Finally. "L!" He sprang up, resisting the urge to grab L to make sure he was real. _'How the mighty have fallen,' _he thought, realizing how pathetic it was… he was ecstatic that anyone was here at all. Even his worst enemy.

"So what is this?" he asked, realizing how stupid the question was. "Your eternity, Light Yagami." L replied in that same emotionless tone he had used so often. "But.. But Ryuk said there was nothing!" Light sputtered indignantly. The other man blinked, black eyes glinting in the half-light. "Ryuk lied."

"So this is hell?" He asked, hating his apparent weakness, but unable to hide the tremor in his voice. L shook his head. "No. This is where you belong, Light Yagami. Your shingami lied. There is a heaven, and there is a hell… but you are allowed in neither. This-" He gestured around him, "is all you will ever have." An icy fist wrapped around Light's heart at the words. "No! Anything but this! Please!" He was on his hands and knees now, at L's feet, pleading. Begging his worst enemy for mercy. The one thing he was sure he'd never do. He ignored the humiliation, however, desperate for an escape. Or at least another person, someone to speak to, someone to see, anything but being alone in this darkness.

L shook his head, sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Light. You created this yourself." Light's hazel eyes widened. "What? How?" L leveled his gaze on Light, leaning forward slightly. "In life, you were alone. No one was good enough for you. No one meant anything to you. They were nothing more than tools for your plans. You called me your friend, yet you didn't, for even a second, hesitate to kill me. You cared nothing for Misa, or Takada, or anyone else in your life. Your family meant nothing." L licked his lips, tilting his head. "So this is your reward. An eternity of this."

Light's eyes widened. As much as he wanted to deny the detective's words, as much as he wanted to protest, he knew. The words were entirely true. No one had meant anything. He'd had no one, he'd needed no one. And now, he would be alone. Sadness in his eyes, L began to fade away. "No! Please!" He gasped, latching onto L's leg, refusing to let go. His efforts had no effect, and in moments, the other man was gone, back to wherever he belonged. And Light was alone. Alone in the darkness _he _had created. Now, and forever...


End file.
